Proteas in action at Newlands

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Cape Town - The Cape Cobras and the Warriors will be boosted by a few Proteas players in their top-of-the-log 1 Day Cup clash at Newlands on Friday.

Die Burger reports that South Africa's Test captain Graeme Smith and wicketkeeper Mark Boucher were released to play for their franchise, while Ashwell Prince was released to boost the Warriors' batting line-up. All-rounder Jacques Kallis was not released for the Cobras.

Both teams are almost assured of a spot in the playoffs.

The Warriors currently top the log standings with 25 points, one ahead of the Cobras. A victory for the Eastern Cape franchise would all but assure them of top spot on the log with one game remaining for both.

The Cobras won the previous encounter between the two teams, albeit with a little assistance from the weather gods. The Cobras narrowly won by three runs according to the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Both teams will be eager for a victory as the team finishing on top after the round-robin phase will automatically qualify for the final. Teams finishing in positions two and three have to play a semi-final. In previous years the top four teams played semi-finals, with the two winners contesting the final.

In other games on Friday, the Knights take on the Titans in Kimberley, while the Lions and the Dolphins lock horns in Potchefstroom. The Dolphins will hope the rain stays away as four of their matches thus far this season have been abandoned due to inclement weather.

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